Almost 20 years ago, on May 1, 1998, when I saw the Backstreet Boys at Grad Nite, I never thought that I would be sitting here, loving a band so much that I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
Me & Nick – 2003
Twenty-five years ago today, the Backstreet Boys came together with all five members, thanks to Kevin Richardson calling his cousin Brian Littrell in Kentucky to fly down. Most of our lives, and theirs, have never been the same.
A month before graduating high school in 1998, I never imagined falling head over heels for a boy band. I mean, that’s what I did as a pre-teen with New Kids on the Block. Me? Love a boy band again? No. But they stole my heart that warm May night in Orlando at Walt Disney World. Nick Carter asked me if he was sexual and I nodded, telling him yes. Seriously, that’s what happened. I kid you not.
Me and BSB in 2013.
The Backstreet Boys have been the one thing in my life that has been constant for the last 20 years. When I thought I couldn’t stand to be alive another day, they were there for me even though they’d never seen me before. To me, they are more than just a boy band. They are life. They are love. They are happiness. They are magic. They. Are. Everything.
There have been people who laugh, or tell me to grow up. Being a Backstreet Boys fan is more than just thinking a singer is hot or going to a concert. It’s a way of life for some of us. I met my family because of these guys. Not my friends – but family. My best friends are in my life because of this musical group. It’s not just being a fangirl and going to any show I can. It’s about being a part of something so big, so powerful and deep that some people just don’t understand it.
Backstreet Boys, you are the reason I’m still here. You helped me more through the years than most of my family. You’ve kept me sane. You’ve kept me strong when I didn’t think I could be strong, especially these past two years.
I can’t wait to spend a few days with you on the open seas with most of my favorite groups. I can’t wait to celebrate my 20th anniversary of becoming a Backstreet Boys fan with you in Florida yet again.
<3<3<3
Meet and Greet photo for the 2016 cruise
